Science —

Weird Science programs its zombie robot sparrows to KILL

But it treats the disposable penis with care.

Angry birds vs. robotic zombies. There's so much weirdness here, I'm not even sure where to begin. First, there's the jargon-filled opening sentence: "Signaling often involves complex suites of behaviors that incorporate different sensory modalities." The "sensory modality" in question here is visual, in that it involves a bird waving its wing around as part of a territorial dispute among sparrows. If this sounds like much ado about nothing, be aware the press release claims the sparrows in question will sometimes fight to the death.

But the real thing setting this paper apart is its technique: It took taxidermy sparrows and reanimated them with robotics to see how living sparrows would respond to them. According to the PR, "The live birds responded most aggressively to the invading, wing-waving robotic sparrow, which Anderson [the lead researcher] said she expected." Clearly, she has formed expectations about things I never expected to see happen.

There's no such thing as a generic conservative. It took an international team of researchers to crunch these numbers, but the conclusions are clear: areas of the country that tend to vote for conservative candidates don't buy as many generic products. The authors ascribe this to conservative tendencies themselves, which cause the buyers to favor established national brands. They support that argument by noting newly established brands also tend to fare poorly in these same areas.

The lead singer of King Missile was apparently a sea slug. King Missile, of course, being the source of the song "Detachable Penis" (which has a remarkably detailed Wikipedia entry). The paper that evoked memories of the song features an opening statement I find it hard to disagree with: "some simultaneous hermaphrodites exhibit bizarre mating behavior." But, by that point, the title of the paper had already given the game away: "Disposable penis and its replenishment in a simultaneous hermaphrodite."

The hermaphrodite in question, the nudibranch or sea slug, has both male and female sexual organs. And, when it mates, the external portion of its penis breaks off and gets left behind. But that's OK! There's more penis coiled up inside the slug, and it can be ready to have sex again in 24 hours. "No other animal is known to repeatedly copulate using such ‘disposable penes,’" note the authors. The authors note there's enough penis coiled up in there for three copulations, but the text I have access to doesn't specify what happens if the animal wants to mate a fourth time.

Scientific evidence that some cosmetics advertising is bullshit. It seems pretty obvious that a lot of advertising copy used by cosmetics companies is ridiculous. For whatever reason, companies have decided sounding scientific will move moisturizers, and the result is a mix of meaningless science-y-sounding terminology, sprinkled with some actual scientific terms used badly. So it was my pleasure to see some researchers had put a material commonly found in cosmetics to the test—and found it didn't work. Liposomes are small lipid sacs that can merge with cell membranes, carrying their contents inside the cell, which has apparently caused many cosmetics companies to start using them. But the authors used fluorescent microscopy to show liposomes can't make their way across the barrier of the skin, so they don't really do anything more than spreading the material on your skin would.

Mandating smaller package sizes do increase public health. If this were a regular article here on Ars, the subject of the regulation might be large bottles of soft drinks. But this is Weird Science, so the paper in question is looking at painkillers. Apparently, in the UK, paracetamol (sold in the US as Tylenol) was subject to regulation that reduced its pack size. As a result, paracetamol poisonings (which include suicide attempts) have dropped by 43 percent over the decade since, while the number of people who need a liver transplant due to overuse of the painkiller has plunged by 60 percent.

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52 Reader Comments

I was just thinking to myself that the only thing better than Aurich's TERMINATOR SPARROW illustration would be video of the actual frankensparrow doing its thing. And by God they have it. (Under "supplementary material;" I'm not sure if it requires an institutional subscription to access.) Awesome.

Mandating smaller package sizes do increase public health. If this were a regular article here on Ars, the subject of the regulation might be targeting large bottles of soft drinks. But this is Weird Science, so the paper in question is looking at painkillers. Apparently, in the UK, paracetamol (sold in the US as Tylenol) was subject to regulation that reduced its pack size. As a result, paracetamol poisonings (which include suicide attempts) have dropped by 43 percent over the decade since, while the number of people who need a liver transplant due to overuse of the painkiller has plunged by 60 percent.

I can see the news stories now. "Big government tries regulating what you can have in your drug cabinet!" "Alabama legislature votes on law to allow stores to sell as big of tylenol bottles as they want."

The Paracetemol smaller package size seems so obvious I am suprised there are not wider applications. I have yet to find out that I don't have enough despite the smaller pack size, and if I did need much more then probably I would be looking at a trip to the doctors anyway. While you could argue that this restriction is infringing my liberties, it seems like sensible government restriction, but I do live in the UK.

If you are looking for a cry for help, paracetemol is not a good option so it seems quite straighforward that smaller pack sizes would help. Similarly kids/people not paying attention should also be helped. If you were planning on killing yourself (with emphasis on the planning) you could buy several packs, but would probably choose a more effective option with fewer unpleasant side effects if you are stopped.

I like the idea of the small pharmaceutical packaging size. As long as the price was reduced proportionately to the quantity of pill inside I'd be alright with that.

A fringe benefit is that pharmacists would be able to see who's just restocking the med-cabinet, and who is buying with the likely intent to overdose, or use in the production of illicit chemicals. After all, if you're buying 10 bottles of a semi-controlled substance, there's likely a bigger reason at work than being prepared. (Unless of course you are preparing for the zombie apocalypse.)

Sadly this only puts up a red flag if you purchase all at once in one location.

I was just thinking to myself that the only thing better than Aurich's TERMINATOR SPARROW illustration would be video of the actual frankensparrow doing its thing. And by God they have it. (Under "supplementary material;" I'm not sure if it requires an institutional subscription to access.) Awesome.

I like the idea of the small pharmaceutical packaging size. As long as the price was reduced proportionately to the quantity of pill inside I'd be alright with that.

A fringe benefit is that pharmacists would be able to see who's just restocking the med-cabinet, and who is buying with the likely intent to overdose, or use in the production of illicit chemicals. After all, if you're buying 10 bottles of a semi-controlled substance, there's likely a bigger reason at work than being prepared. (Unless of course you are preparing for the zombie apocalypse.)

Sadly this only puts up a red flag if you purchase all at once in one location.

In the UK the major supermarkets sell a pack of 16 for around £0.16, so it's cheap enough. And each pack comes with 2 strips with 8 on each (1 days recommended maximum).

There's also another law that restricts the number of packs of painkillers you can buy off the shelf to 2. If you want more you need to buy them from the pharmacy. (or go through twice)

...in the UK ... paracetamol poisonings (which include suicide attempts) have dropped by 43 percent over the decade since, while the number of people who need a liver transplant due to overuse of the painkiller has plunged by 60 percent.

Apparently living in the UK is still as painful as it was in the 1600's.

article wrote:

...Detachable Penis......Reduced Package Size...

I don't know whether it's poetic - or disconcerting to have these two concepts in the same article.

Man those sea slugs truly have some weird sexual kinks! The whole order of gastropoda is like that though.I remember a class about some weird mating behaviour that included a few gems:

Another species of sea slug (also simultaneous hermaphrodites, most gastropoda are) engages in what is eloquently termed 'penis-fencing'. This species is both male and female but doesn't really have a dedicated female reproductive organ in the common sense. It's gonads lie inside its body and it lacks a vagina so to speak, but not a penis. So the sperm is caustic and must eat its way through the recipients skin in order to reach the gonads and fertilise the eggs! This, as you can imagine, has a significant and negative impact on the recipients individual fitness. So it comes as no surprise that during mating, both sea slugs prefer to take on the male role. They will actually dance around each other and jab and feint in an attempt to deposit sperm on the other while trying to avoid the same fate. Hence penis-fencing!

I remember seeing pictures of sea slugs where as much as 70% of its body was eaten away by the caustic sperm in what can only be dubbed a sea slug bukkake! (Yes i may be a biologist but i'm also a resident of teh intarwebs since the early 90's)

Another example are many terrestrial- and pond-snails who have what is called a love-dart (Who comes up with these names?).This is literally a dart made up mostly of calcium carbonate which the snails repeatedly jab into each others body while mating. It is not an actual penis in that it doesn't deliver sperm (they actually do have one of those, as well as a vagina. Talk about well equipped!). What it does deliver are hormones that are intended to rob the other snail of its 'female-choice' by forcing it to use the sperm in what can quite literally be called a sexual arms race.Here is an image of these love-darts, including cross-sections. (Made by a professor i know at my old alma mater)

So if anybody ever accuses you of having weird sexual kinks, i guess you can tell them it's pretty tame in the grand scheme of things

The lower rates of generic products sold in more conservative districts doesn't surprise me, though I feel like I might be stretching for a rational connection a bit, so I'm open for debate.

This wonderful TED talk by Jonathan Haidt identifies what appears to be the common 5 moral bases for conservative mindsets (vs 2 for liberal mindsets), and two of the conservative-specific five are Authority and Loyalty.

Buying Oreos instead of Hydrox could very easily be effected by both of these moral factors on a conscious and subconscious level. The lower rates of "Openness to Experience" in the conservative mindset would inherently play toward desiring familiarity in products with higher brand loyalty; they will be more likely to buy Oreos because they have always bought Oreos. I would imagine that at least a part of this would be fed by an innate desire for loyalty - the same reward system which supports loyalty in obvious moral choices would still be active in these seemingly non-moral product decisions as well, even if we aren't aware of its role.

Also, Oreos as the name brand has the air of authority, and buying the Real Thing could have a similar unconscious reward in people who value that position on a moral map. By being the popular name brand, they must be better - after all, why else would they be more popular, and/or more expensive? If people with a more conservative mindset were to change their cookie brand, I wonder if they would be more likely to go from Hydrox to Oreo than from Oreo to Hydrox because of this (all outside pressures - namely price - being equal).

Or maybe I'm way over thinking it, and this is simply due to the larger advertising spending by junk-food companies in traditionally conservative areas as noted in this recent article on snack food science and politics from New York Times Magazinehttp://www.nytimes.com/2013/02/24/magaz ... =1&hp&_r=0

It's easier to get your existing customers to eat/drink more than to get new customers; thus more effective advertising in targeting areas which happen to also be important areas of conservative concentration in this new study.

Re: Tylenol, acetaminophen, paracetamol . Tylenol is Johnson and Johnson's brand of acetaminophen which is the us generic name equivalent of paracetamol. The smaller pkg size would probably be good in the US as "APAP" (a common medical abbreviation of name) causes a very high percentage of liver failure in the US. Standard recommendations call for adult max of 4g per 24hr and 3g if over 65 years.

There were a lot of people asking us to bring it back, both through direct emails to me, and in responses to reader surveys, etc. It's a lot of work to chase down all the articles needed to get a full post, so i don't think you can expect one every week, but I will try to keep a regular flow of them.

In the mean time, share it with your friends. The more readers we see for these, the more we'll make sure getting them done is a priority.

Man those sea slugs truly have some weird sexual kinks! The whole order of gastropoda is like that though.I remember a class about some weird mating behaviour that included a few gems:

Another species of sea slug (also simultaneous hermaphrodites, most gastropoda are) engages in what is eloquently termed 'penis-fencing'. This species is both male and female but doesn't really have a dedicated female reproductive organ in the common sense. It's gonads lie inside its body and it lacks a vagina so to speak, but not a penis. So the sperm is caustic and must eat its way through the recipients skin in order to reach the gonads and fertilise the eggs! This, as you can imagine, has a significant and negative impact on the recipients individual fitness. So it comes as no surprise that during mating, both sea slugs prefer to take on the male role. They will actually dance around each other and jab and feint in an attempt to deposit sperm on the other while trying to avoid the same fate. Hence penis-fencing!

I remember seeing pictures of sea slugs where as much as 70% of its body was eaten away by the caustic sperm in what can only be dubbed a sea slug bukkake! (Yes i may be a biologist but i'm also a resident of teh intarwebs since the early 90's)

Another example are many terrestrial- and pond-snails who have what is called a love-dart (Who comes up with these names?).This is literally a dart made up mostly of calcium carbonate which the snails repeatedly jab into each others body while mating. It is not an actual penis in that it doesn't deliver sperm (they actually do have one of those, as well as a vagina. Talk about well equipped!). What it does deliver are hormones that are intended to rob the other snail of its 'female-choice' by forcing it to use the sperm in what can quite literally be called a sexual arms race.Here is an image of these love-darts, including cross-sections. (Made by a professor i know at my old alma mater)

So if anybody ever accuses you of having weird sexual kinks, i guess you can tell them it's pretty tame in the grand scheme of things

Ducks have a pretty crazy sexual arms race going on as well. The females develop complicated vaginas so the males get extremely long penises.

Ducks have a pretty crazy sexual arms race going on as well. The females develop complicated vaginas so the males get extremely long penises.

for some reason, a picture of Jamie Hyneman holding a duck and saying "Quack, damn you!" just popped into my head.

this was not the correct visual aid for your post.

on a related vein, i remember reading somewhere that male cats have barbs or hooks on their penii (is that the correct plural?) so that it's harder for the female to get away, and thus more likely for her to receive his "delivery". dunno if it's true, but it certainly helps explain why they're so damn noisy when they're doing it outside my bedroom window at night.

John - MOAR WEIRD SCIENCE! for me, it ranks right up there with This is True.

brokensyntax wrote: A fringe benefit is that pharmacists would be able to see who's just restocking the med-cabinet, and who is buying with the likely intent to overdose, or use in the production of illicit chemicals. After all, if you're buying 10 bottles of a semi-controlled substance, there's likely a bigger reason at work than being prepared. (Unless of course you are preparing for the zombie apocalypse.)

Sadly this only puts up a red flag if you purchase all at once in one location.

First all, what the pharmacists care how much you purchased? They are there to sell so they could have the jobs and leave the babysitting and policing the public to someone else for that purpose. They welcome you to purchase everything they have stocked in the storeroom in one purchase. Yea, buy them all. Beside, this should be the doctors' responsibilities not theirs. Secondly, think of the patients when they go away from home for a long period of time, like traveling oversea, to places where they go they are not sure about stuff what they are buying not to mention some drugs are prescribed by doctors only?

First all, what the pharmacists care how much you purchased? They are there to sell so they could have the jobs and leave the babysitting and policing the public to someone else for that purpose. They welcome you to purchase everything they have stocked in the storeroom in one purchase. Yea, buy them all. Beside, this should be the doctors' responsibilities not theirs. Secondly, think of the patients when they go away from home for a long period of time, like traveling oversea, to places where they go they are not sure about stuff what they are buying not to mention some drugs are prescribed by doctors only?

We are now at war with Eurasia. We have always been at war with Eurasia.

The Paracetemol smaller package size seems so obvious I am suprised there are not wider applications. I have yet to find out that I don't have enough despite the smaller pack size, and if I did need much more then probably I would be looking at a trip to the doctors anyway. While you could argue that this restriction is infringing my liberties, it seems like sensible government restriction, but I do live in the UK.

True, but - just to play devil's advocate and assuming pharmaceutical companies being pharmaceutical companies - then you end up paying $3.50 for 20 pill size (what are you going to do - go without??) instead of $1.50 for the 20 pack, $2.99 for the 50 pack and $4.99 for the 100 pack. Given that you can take (AFAIK) 8 a day when needed, and multiply by number of family members, and, let's say you all get a virus that gives you a nasty headache, you could go through a 20 pack in a day without much trouble. My wife has terrible acid reflux (has for over 20 years), has had her gall bladder removed and is recovering from an ulcer (not bacterial).. Let's just say she's no stranger to pain killers (many much stronger than acetaminophen, mostly from the ER). And since I've hit my 40s, I've had a few more headaches than I used to, and find myself taking something for a headache maybe 2-5 times a month, where it used to be 2-5 times a year. Probably also somewhat stress related and having a MUCH busier life than when I was single.. YMMV.

Back on topic: Costco 2x500 pack for $13 or something FTW!(1.5 or 2 years later, we're not even halfway through one of them - BUT, we haven't needed to keep buying 20-packs at $3/pop either.)